TBJ185: Sylvia Alimena
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On This Episode of The Brass Junkies:
Sylvia’s incredible 29-year run in the National Symphony Orchestra
What it was like playing under Rostropovich
The energy and passion that was captured in the National Symphony Orchestra recordings under Rostropovich
The one-liners that Slava used to deliver in rehearsals
A memorable concert of Shostakovich 8 in Orchestra Hall in Chicago where they really went for it
The National Symphony’s transition from Rostropovich to Slatkin
What she learned as a conductor from Leonard Slatkin
Slatkin’s ability to convey everything in rehearsal with his hands rather than his word
Rostropovich’s ability to motivate every single person in the orchestra and make them feel loved and how she has tried to bring that to all of her conducting engagements
What she saw coming from the podium that she intentionally tried not to emulate herself as a conductor
The benefit of an orchestral horn section that isn’t all playing the same brand of horn
How Sylvia took over Brass of Peace from its founder
Why it’s never too soon to talk to students about artistry
Working through a common problem with “Guinea Pig Time”
Why she stopped teaching for a while and why she felt a calling to come back to it
Why the key of saying no to things is putting yourself and your health first
Her need to convey strength and where she thinks that might come from
What life was like as a female horn player in an orchestra early in her career
How she has seen kids evolve mentally to be more human towards each other than they were 30+ years ago
Lance teaching his studio to tango
“Hold the torch high”
Sylvia’s job as an educator is to give students the skills to differentiate themselves in college
The three-step audition process for Brass of Peace and what a typical season looks like
How COVID has changed whether some kids are looking to go into music for a career
Fractured Atlas and how they help to support Brass of Peace
Sylvia visits The Practicing Corner with two really good pieces of advice
Links:
Inside the Practice Room with Julie Landsman
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With Thanks
The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University
Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
Enter the promo code “junkies11” at online checkout to receive $500 off your purchase of a new instrument from houghtonhorns.com
Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
